Kinston-Lenoir County is an ideal choice for any relocating individual, family or business. Kinston area businesses and residents enjoy an unparalleled quality of life. Southern hospitality, a rich history, natural beauty, warm weather and year-round activities and events, are just a few of the reasons many are happy to call the area home. So if you haven’t already, we invite you to bring your family or business to the Kinston area and experience for yourself the charm and beauty of Kinston. After a trip to the area, you’ll want to join the local businesses and families who already call the area home.
“After living in the Washington, DC area for many years we moved to Kinston and love the relaxed atmosphere. The people here are friendly and have embraced us in our new business venture. We love the openness of the area and the fresher air.
The traditional values you find in a small town mean a lot to us and we love living here.”
—Cathy & Herbert Lewis - Sweets Coffee Shop
HISTORY
Kinston was once known as Atkins Bank, which referred to a bluff just above the Neuse River once owned by Robert Atkins. Prior to the English settlement, the area was inhabited by the Neusiok Indians.
Kinston was created by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly in December of 1762 as Kingston, in honor of King George III who had just recently ascended to the throne. The bill to incorporate it was introduced by Richard Caswell, who made his home there and later served as the first Governor of the State of North Carolina from 1776 to 1780. Richard Caswell has become known as the Father of our State, so named because of his service to the state as a military leader and a statesman during such trying times during the Revolutionary War. It was during this period the town dropped the “g” from the name Kingston and it became known as Kinston.
During the onset of the Civil War, Camp Campbell and Camp Johnston were established near the city as training camps, and a bakery on Queen Street was converted to produce hardtack in large quantities. The Battle of Kinston took place in and around the city on December 14, 1862. The Battle of Wyse Fork (March 8, 1865) also occurred very near the city. It was at this later battle that the Confederate Ram Neuse was scuttled. Union forces occupied the city following the battle and remained through the Reconstruction period.
Despite the hardships of war and Reconstruction, the population of the city continued to grow. Kinston became a major tobacco and cotton trading center by the early twentieth century. More than five million pounds of tobacco were being sold in Kinston’s warehouses annually. The twentieth century saw a variety of industries come to Kinston including lumber mills, cotton mills, and even professional sports in the form of a minor league baseball team. Later growth would come in the form of a Du Pont plant for the manufacture of polyester fibers as well as pharmaceutical factories. r
LEISURE
We invite you to take time out of your hectic schedule and spend some time exploring our Civil War Battlefields and visiting the CSS Neuse and CSS Neuse II. Discover Harmony Hall, where North Carolina’s Government held office during the Revolutionary War. Capture the minds and hearts of your little ones as they visit the Neuseway Nature Center’s raccoons, osprey, red-tailed hawk turtles, alligators, and many other creatures native to Eastern North Carolina. Catch a ride on Big Daddy’s Express and reach for the stars at the Neuseway Planetarium and Health & Science Museum. Just a few miles away you may hear the roar of dragsters competing at the Kinston Drag Strip, where racers from Connecticut to Florida compete for lucrative purses. The whack of a baseball in historic Grainger Stadium, home of the Kinston Indians, a farm team of the Cleveland Indians, offers a taste of the way the game was meant to be played. Kinston has long been a hub for the Cultural Arts and our Community Council for the Arts is definitely one of the finest arts centers in the state. Visitors can relax and enjoy the exhibits in the state of the art center housed in a building listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Southern cooking, fresh seafood, and Eastern North Carolina barbeque are features of Kinston restaurants and a variety of festivals and events provide year round family fun!
LOCATION
Lenoir County, NC is centrally located in eastern NC approximately 75 miles east of Raleigh (our state’s capital) and 75 miles west of Morehead City (one of our seaports and the beautiful crystal coast). Our county is a blend of agriculture and manufacturing. Lenoir County has three incorporated municipalities: Kinston is the county seat, LaGrange, lies approximately 10 miles west of Kinston and Pink Hill approximately 15 miles south of Kinston.
We are proud to be 1 of 10 communities selected by the National Civic League as an All-America City in 2009.
The All-America City Award is America’s oldest and most prestigious community recognition award. Since 1949, the All-America City Award has encouraged and recognized civic excellence, honoring communities of all sizes cities, towns, counties, neighborhoods, and regions in which citizens, government, businesses, and voluntary organizations work together to address critical local issues.
POPULATION
Kinston (2000) 23,729
Lenoir County (2000) 59,662
CLIMATE
Normal Average High – 72.6
Normal Average Low – 51.7
Normal Average Precipitation – 53.11"
MAJOR ROADS
US 70 - to Raleigh/Durham, New Bern, Havelock, Morehead City
US 258 - to Rocky Mount, Tarboro, Jacksonville
NC Hwy 11 - to Greenville, Pink Hill, Kenansville
NC Hwy 55 - to ?
NC 58 - to Snow Hill
RELOCATION RESOURCES
Moving to a new city requires a vast amount of information — details about neighborhoods and housing, automobile licenses, schools, cultural and recreational opportunities and much more. Whether relocating your family, a business or just yourself, let us help make the task of moving to Kinston and Lenoir County more enjoyable. We can provide you with more information on:
Schools • Banks/Mortgage Companies • Taxes
Retirement Information • Builders • Healthcare • Realtors
VISITOR INFO/REFERENCE
Kinston-Lenoir County Convention & Visitors Bureau
301 N. Queen St.
Kinston, NC 28501
(252) 523-2500
www.visitkinston.com
Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce
301 N. Queen St., Kinston, NC 28501
(252) 527-1131
www.kinstonchamber.com
Kinston-Lenoir Visitor’s and Information Center
101 E. New Bern Road
Kinston, NC 28504
(252) 522-0004
TRANSPORTATION
Carolina Trailways Union Bus Station
301 E. Blount St.
Kinston, NC 28501
(252) 523-4146
Eagle Taxi
(252) 523-2240
Lenoir County Transit
(252) 523-4171
Kinston Regional Jetport
(252) 522-2922
Raleigh-Durham Airport
(919) 840-7700
Amtrak
(800) 872-7245
Avis Car Rental
(252) 520-7511 or (800) 331-1212
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
(800) 736-8222
UTILITIES
City of Kinston Public Services
(252) 939-3282
North Lenoir Water
(252) 527-8352
Deep Run Water Corp
(252) 568-3006
Piedmont Natural Gas
(800) 752-7504
Town of Pink Hill
(252) 568-3181
Tri County Electric
(800) 548-4869
Telephone
EMBARQ -
(252) 636-1514
Gas
Amerigas
(252) 637-3903
Jenkins Gas
(252) 527-4049
Mallard Oil & LP Gas
(252) 637-2524
Progress Energy
(800) 452-2777
IMPORTANT NUMBERS TO KNOW
NC Division of Motor Vehicles
(919) 715-7000
Drivers License Office
(252) 526-4432
Employment Security Commission
2100 Presbyterian Lane
Kinston, NC 28501
(252) 526-4435
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Lenoir County Economic Development
301 N. Queen St.
Kinston, NC 28501
(252) 522-1963
Pride of Kinston
327 N. Queen St.
Kinston, NC 28501
(252) 522-4676
LIBRARIES
Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library
(252) 527-7066 Kinston
(252) 566-3727 LaGrange
(252) 568-3631 Pink Hill
Lenoir Community College Library
231 Highway 58 South
Kinston, NC 28502
(252) 527-6223 x 507
HEALTHCARE
Lenoir Memorial Hospital
100 Airport Rd, Kinston, NC
(252) 522-7000
Lenoir County Health Dept.
201 N McLewean St, Kinston, NC
(252) 526-4200
Kinston Community Health
324 N. Queen St, Kinston, NC
(252) 522-9485
MEDIA
Kinston Free Press
(252) 527-3191
www.kinston.com
The News & Observer
(919) 829-4500
www.newsobserver.com
KINSTON PARKS & RECREATION
City of Kinston Recreation
405 N. McLewean St.
Kinston, NC 28501
(252) 939-3332
Neuseway Planetarium and Health & Science Museum
401 W. Caswell St.
Kinston, NC 28501
(252) 939-3302
Neuseway Nature Center & Campground
(252) 939-3367
ACCOMODATIONS
See our "Where to Stay" page for a complete listing of accommodations.
REAL ESTATE COMPANIES
Century 21
(252) 522-0011
Coldwell Banker/Conway & Co.
(252) 522-1911
ERA Montague & Associates
(252) 526-0401
Foster Realty Company, Inc.
(252) 523-1794
Malone Realty
(252)527-4800
Nell A. Jarman & Associates
(252) 527-2122
Perry Management
(252) 523-5107
Walter Poole Realty
(252) 523-4300
MOVING AND STORAGE
Security Relocation Group
(919) 734-0177
SCHOOLS
Lenoir County Public Schools
2017 W. Vernon Ave.
Kinston, NC 28501
(252) 527-1109
Partnership for Children
1465 Highway 258 N
Kinston, NC 28504
(252) 939-1200
Lenoir Community College
P.O. Box 188
Kinston, NC 28502-0188
(252) 527-6223
Arendell Parrott Academy
1901 Dobbs Farm Road
Kinston, NC 28504
(252) 522-4222
Kinston Charter Academy
2000 MLK Jr. Blvd.
Kinston, NC 28501
(252) 522-0210
Bethel Christian Academy
1936 Banks School Road
Kinston, NC 28504
(252) 522-2451
Children’s Village Academy
404 Dixon St.
Kinston, NC 28501
(252) 520-4536
Please contact the Kinston-Lenoir Chamber of Commerce
at 1-800-869-0032 for more information.
